Dolly Parton’s Netflix Series Announces Julianne Hough as ‘Jolene’

Dolly Parton's upcoming Netflix anthology series has announced the cast for the first episode, which will be devoted to her song "Jolene."

Julianne Hough will star as Jolene, whom Variety describes as "a flirtatious free spirit with aspirations of escaping her small hometown of Coventry, Ga., to follow her dreams of becoming a successful singer-songwriter." Hough's previous credits include a long stint as a pro on Dancing With the Stars, and she's also had a career as a country singer, winning ACM Awards for Top New Female Artist and Top New Artist in 2009.

Parton will also appear in the debut episode of Dolly Parton's Heartstrings, a one-hour, eight-episode series that will elaborate on the stories behind various Parton hits in each episode. Parton will portray Babe, a colorful woman who runs a local honky-tonk called Baby Blue’s, where Jolene works as a waitress. Babe is a mother figure to her staff, and she's particularly close to Jolene.

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Kimberly Williams-Paisley has been announced to play Emily, a wife and mom who takes on a new challenge as the president of Coventry’s Women’s League. She's pulled into Jolene's orbit as she tries to find her own fulfillment. Dallas Roberts — whose credits include The Walking Dead, The Good Wife and Insatiable — will portray Aaron, a husband and father confronting the challenges of a long marriage and a mid-life crisis.

Parton announced in June that she was set to produce a series that's slated to premiere on Netflix in 2019. No premiere date has yet been announced, but Variety reports that Patrick Sean Smith will serve as executive producer and showrunner, while Parton and Sam Haskell will also executive produce. Magnolia Hill Productions and Sandollar Productions are set to produce the new series for Netflix in association with Warner Bros. Television.